Seed-separator electrical drier



H. L. GRAY.

SEED SEPARATOR ELECTRICAL DRIER.

APPuc'AnoN FILED JUNE 3, m9.

Patented Dec. 14, 1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

H. L. GRAY.

SEED SEPARATOR ELECTRICAL DRIER.

APPLICATION. FILED JUNE 3. 1919.

Patented Dec. 14, 1920.

4 SHEETSSHEET 2.

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H. L. GRAY.

SEED SEPARATOR ELECTRICAL DRIER.

APPLICATION EILED. JUNE 3, 1919.

1,362,568, Patented Dec. 14, 1920.

4 SHEETS-SHED 3 arjldfi. gray. Wm W H. L. GRAY. 8EED SEPARATOR ELECTRICAL DRIER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 31 1919.

Patented Dec. 14, 1920.

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' I amine UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HAROLD L. GRAY, OF CRAWFORDSVILLE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO CRABBS' REYNOLDS TAYLOR COMPANY, OE CRAWFORDSVILLE, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

SEED-SEPARATOR ELECTRICAL DRIER.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, HAROLD L. GRAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Crawfordsville, in the county of Montgomery and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Seed-Separator Electrical Drier, of which the following is a specifi cation.

The object of my invention is to replace the steam-heating mechanism disclosed in my former Patent No. 1279377 and 1280446 wlth improved electrical heating and drying mechanism, and to utilize a process of electrically heating the absorbent material used in the seed separating process.

I attain the object of my invention by suitable mechanism such as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which F igurel is a side elevation of the machine, with part shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the apparatus on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top plan of one of the electrical units or heating pans;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section on line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section on line 5-5 of Fig. 3, showing the heating element in the pan;

Fig. 6is a detail sectional View, showing the connection of members 16 and 20,

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the apparatus, with the wiring shown in diagram, and

Fig. 8 is a detail elevational view of the thermostat.

Like numerals designate like throughout the several views.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I provide a series of electrical heating units, arranged in tiers as shown in Fig. 2, of which there are four sections or sets A, B, C, and D, as shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to Figs. 3, 4, and 5, illustrating one of the heating units, I provide a tray 1, having sides 2 and cross strips 3, as shown in Fig. 3, and a face plate 4, in which is provided a suitable damper 5. Mounted on plate 4 I provide a switch element 6 adapted to engage a corresponding switch element 7, connected with wire 27. I provide a wire 8 leading to the contact element of thermostat 9. Thermostat 9 has a lower contact 10 connected by wire 11 to heating coil 12. From the coil 12, which is arranged back and forth between the sides 2 of the pan 1 in parts Specification of Letters Patent. Pate t d D 14 1 2 Application filed June 3, 1919. Serial No. 301,544.

approxlmately U-shaped and inverted U- shaped arrangement, as shown in Fig. 3, a wire 13 leads to a second switch 14, as indicated m Fig. 5. The second switch 14 is secured to face plate 4 of pan or drawer 1, whlch when the pan is in place in the machine connects with a mating switch element 15 whlch 1s connected with wire 28 and fastened to the seed heating plate or top member 16. I provide suitable endless conveyers arranged to be constantly moved over rollers at either end of the machine and positioned to brush the seeds along the heating plates or top members 16 of the various electrical heating units, whereby the sawdust fed into the machine through spout R is dried. The conveyers 17 are provided with spaced cross bars 18. At the ends of the machine I prov1de deflecting plates 19 arranged to guide the sawdust from one conveyer to the con-- ve er next below, as indicated in Fig. 1.

eferring to Fig. 1 I provide a plurality of substantially U-shaped pipes, connecting the tiers of electrical heating units. At one end of the heating units are pipes 21 connectlng the two upper tiers and the third and fourth tiers from the top; while at the other end of the aforesaid electrical heating unlts are plpes 20 connecting the second and th1rd tiers from the top and similar plpes 20 connecting the fourth and fifth tiers. I provide a plurality of heat exhaust pipes 22 opening into the main heat exhaust conduit 23, which is provided with an adjustable damper 24, as shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to Fig. 6, I provide a thimble or pipe connection 25, adapted to engage in the end of pipe 20, or similarly of pipe 21.

I prefer to provide thermostats 9 with adjusting means or screws 26, by means of which the operation of the thermostat may be regulated.

It will be observed that five tiers of trays are provided. Of these three contain heating elements, namely, the top, middle and bottom tiers, leaving the intermediate tiers (namely, the second and fourth) empty. The draft is regulated by the dampers 5 in the lower tier, as indicated in Fig. 1. The heat from this lower tray is conveyed through pipes 20 to the tier next above. The heat is carried from the latter. unit or tray to the one next above through pipe 21; and the operation is continued to the next succeeding above until the heated air in case of need. Near the front of the heating tray at the top, I provide two knife male switches asillustrated, which will connect with a coacting switch when the tray is placed in position in the machine. The latter switch element connects to two live wires running the full length of the tray to a knife switch, as illustrated.

I do not desire to confine my invention to the specific electrical heating unit disclosed, but may employ any sultable electrical heating means adapted to be arranged in trays in tiers, whereby to utilize the process of dryin the sawdust with electricity, as the initial step in a process by which musilaginous seeds are separated from non-mucilaginous seeds by causing the mucilaginous buckhorn and other weed seeds to collect balls of the dry sawdust about them which facilitates their separation from the clover seeds to which the sawdust does not adhere. In other words it is within the contem lation of my invention to employ as the lnitial step in my process the heating of the sawdust by electricity. Subsequent to the heating of the sawdust it is passed through a series of conveyors in which it is mingled intimately with the seed; and subsequently is conveyed over a series of inclined shakers and screens which roll the seeds .along so as to cause the mucilaginous seeds to gather the balls of sawdust; and finally by means of suitable blowing and suction fans, separate the desired from the useless seeds.

Whatl claim is:

1. In a heating apparatus for a seed separator, the combination of electrically heated trays, said trays being removable from the apparatus for adjustment and repair of the electrical means contained therein, and means for thermostatically regulating the temperature of the electric heating means.

2. In a heating apparatus for a seed separator, the combination of electrically heated trays, said trays being removably mounted to facilitate adjustment and repair of the electric heating means therein, means for thermostatically regulating the temperature of the electric heating means, means for the free passage of air from one tray to the next above, adjustable means for the intake of air to the bottom tray, and adjustable means for the exhaust of air from the uppermost tray,,substantially as set forth.

' HAROLD L. GRAY. 

